My Personal Goals Of Education

Jean Piaget once stated that “the principle goal of education is to create men who are capable of doing new things, not simply of repeating what other generations have done—men who are creative, inventive, and discoverers” (Jervis and Tobier, 1988). I came across this quote as I prepared my graduation portfolio and it has resonated with me ever since. My goal as a teacher has been for my students do more than just store facts and names to pass the class. My goal has been to give my students opportunities to interact with the information, to question it, and to make connections and predictions on their own. The heart of teaching lies in empowering students to take responsibility for their own learning by presenting rigorous and relevant curriculum that promotes

Constructivist Theory
It is difficult to say that there is one single theory that applies to teaching every student in every school, in every single subject area. The diversity of individual learning styles, background knowledge, and even interest levels, makes teaching a complex process. In the development of a teaching philosophy, it is important that teachers have one fundamental truth that anchors all the values, theories, and strategies that add to the complexity of teaching. The foundation of my personal philosophy is constructivist theory. I firmly believe that “learners are not passive receptors of knowledge… instead, students construct meanings for concepts” (Ültanir, 2012). In other words, the goal of the teacher is to challenge students to do more than just recall facts. Teachers should provide learning experiences that are student-centered and require analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of relevant information. Instead of assuming an expert role, the teacher assumes the role of a facilitator. There is a misconception that the